Education for the Deaf in South Africa appears to be insufficiently researched,
contributing to a less than ideal educational situation. Teachers are not trained to
address the special needs of Deaf learners, there is limited cohesive instructional theory
and the educational policy focussing on the needs of Deaf learners is limited in both
range and depth. Due to the ineffectiveness of Deaf education in South Africa, the
majority of Deaf school leavers leave school linguistically impoverished, 'disabled' by
the lack of effective educational opportunities, thus carrying the main barrier to
learning' with them into life.
In an effort to ascertain why the educational system is deemed ineffectual, I identified
the lack of training programmes for teachers of the Deaf in South Africa as a main
cause of inadequate Deaf education in South Africa. In order to assess this working
hypothesis, I initiated an investigation into the perceptions of the crucial role players in
Deaf education, namely the teachers of the Deaf and Deaf adults (former learners).
The purpose of the study was thus to find out why the Deaf education system is
ineffectual. An inquiry was therefor conducted into the emic views of teachers of the
Deaf and also Deaf adults who had experienced the education system in South Africa
first-hand. I aimed to study rigorously and methodically these perceptions and
experiences with the view of contributing to the discourse about the improvement of
Deaf education in South Africa. These personal views were obtained in a 'bottom-up'
research mode and could be essential in contributing to the sparse body of knowledge
on Deaf education in South Africa from the Deaf adult's perspective. The study should
also contribute to the Deaf community's move toward empowerment and equality.
The findings that emerged from the study support the hypothesis that the present
situation in Deaf education is unacceptable to both educators and learners alike and that
specialised training for teachers of the Deaf, including knowledge of Sign Language, is
essential. The investigation concludes with a consolidation of the findings into a
framework for a proposed teacher training programme for teachers of the Deaf, which
is presented within the outcomes based paradigm.

en_US

dc.language.iso

en

en_US

dc.subject

Teachers - Inservice training - South Africa - Case studies

en_US

dc.subject

Deaf children - Education - South Africa.

en_US

dc.subject

Special education teachers - In-service training - South Africa

en_US

dc.subject

Special education - South Africa - Personnel management

en_US

dc.title

A professional development programme for teachers of the deaf in South Africa

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